1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an apparatus for removing from a package of metallic strips a single strip and for subsequently feeding the single strip, in particular for binding printed sheets or the like which are inserted with an edge thereof into a strips opening and then retained therein by squashing the strip in punch-like machine.
Such punch machines comprise a punching means which is controllably lowered on the strip after manual positioning thereof against suitable end stops and after manual insertion of a printed sheet or sheets into the strip opening. The manual operation of positioning each strip under the punching means reduces productivity, in particular due to the great loss of time for taking-out a single strip from a package thereof and/or for exactly orientating the same when the strips are randomly disposed. Further, the above positioning operation of removed single strips in the punching zone can be dangerous for the operator, if suitable devices are not provided for in order to avoid the punching means lowering while the operator's fingers are under such punching means.
Accordingly, it is highly important to have an equipment for automatically carrying-out the operations of taking-out single strips from a package thereof and feeding the single strips to the punching position.
In order to obtain such results it is necessary to overcome the difficulty due to the fact that the strips are tightly packaged and thus a force is required in order to disengage the last strip from the package, while ensuring that the penultimate strip is retained.
Further, it is necessary that each strip be fed to a downstream station, namely to the punching machine, with an exact positioning and orientation in order to avoid any manual correction thereon.
2. Description of the Prior Art
An apparatus for removing and feeding the strips has been proposed in the art, such apparatus using a magnetic field to disengage each strip from the package. However, such known apparatus satisfactorily operates only when the necessary force to disengage the strips is very small, i.e. when the strip base an apex angle which is quite large and such strips substantially have an L-shaped configuration. Accordingly, this known apparatus cannot operate on v-shaped strips, or on strips not formed of a ferromagnetic material.